“My mom took me to my first pride at eight years old. We moved to San Francisco, and it’s kind of part of being a global citizen.”

The 46-year-old added, “People talk a lot about diversity and inclusion, but they don’t actually mean it. In our household, we mean that, and that’s why the entire household went to pride.”

As we previously reported, Zion and his stepmom were on a float during the April 7 LGBTQ pride festival. They were also joined by other family members such as his 17-year-old big brother, Zaire and baby sister Kaavia.

Zaire Wade shared his public support on Instagram for his younger brother, writing: “Love you lil bro no matter what.”

Dwyane Wade, who was playing in Toronto at the time, couldn’t attend the parade, but posted on his Instagram stories a series of pics, writing “We support each other with Pride,” over a photo of his son and his wife.

“Zion had his [own] cheering section today,” the NBA player captioned a photo of Zion and his family members.

While some may question the couple’s support for Zion’s sexual orientation, others celebrated them for showing up and loving their son for who he is, which is especially important for Black LGBTQ kids.

See, a 2016 report released by the Center for American Progress found that Black LGBTQ folks experience higher rates of homelessness during youth than their peers; have higher rates of unemployment or underemployment; and face overall lower rates of pay and higher rates of poverty.

Another report conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that nearly half of Black/African-American LGBTQ students felt unsafe due to their sexual orientation; over a third felt unsafe because of their gender expression and nearly 40 percent of Black/ African-American students were more likely to experience in-school discipline.

So, it’s clear that if this is the disproportionate bias our children face in the outside world, they need to be loved and accepted as much as possible when they are home with us.

Bravo to Gabrielle and Dwyane for leading the way! If only more Black parents could follow in their footsteps.

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I would love to interview Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union about their encouragement/support of Zion. I think it is important when they discuss Zion’s story that they speak to someone of related intersections. Zion is celebrated by them. This is powerful.

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I just sobbed! This right here moved me so much... Zion Malachi Airamis Wade (son of @DwyaneWade) had the support of his family @itsgabrielleu and his older brother Zaire Wade, at the Miami Beach Gay Pride celebration on Sunday. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/5p9rcpyHbx

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As a queer black man it’s so amazing to see the way that @itsgabrielleu & @DwyaneWade embrace the LGBTQ community & give their son room to express himself which is something you rarely see in the black community.Your son will benefit so much from that support,Im so happy for him

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I was just looking at the comments under that TheShadeRoom post about Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, and their son at LGBT pride. There's a segment of heterosexual Black people that are so brainwashed, bigoted, and violent towards Black LGBT. Y'all are just awful. Whew.

[caption id="attachment_3025640" align="alignleft" width="935"] Source: George Pimentel / Getty[/caption]
For Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, love is love.
And for them, that love means supporting their 11-year-old son Zion Wade who appeared at the annual Miami Beach Pride March on Sunday.
The Miami Heat star, who was in Toronto playing the Raptures, sent his support via Instagram.
“We support each other with Pride,” Wade wrote over a photo of his son and his wife.
https://twitter.com/BrianRichy/status/1115013742641713152According to NBC News, Zion and his stepmom were on a float during Sunday's LGBTQ pride festival. They were also joined by other family members such as his 17-year-old big brother, Zaire and baby sister Kaavia.
Zaire Wade shared his public support on Instagram for his younger brother, writing: “Love you lil bro no matter what.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-RMbaAfrT/
Just beautiful!
Sadly, there will always be people who take issue with the Wades supporting Zion, accusing the couple of encouraging "a lifestyle" on a child so young."
But thankfully, there were more people flocking to Twitter commending the parents for loving their child unconditionally and supporting their son for being who he is and living out loud. In addition, Black LGBTQ folks shared their own stories and stressed why it's important for Black parents to not turn their backs on their children for coming out.
Take a look: